Commission puts brakes on Coast health board cutbacks

COST-cutting measures flagged by the new Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service have been blocked for at least three weeks by a Queensland Industrial Relations Commission ruling.

The ruling follows a hearing last week, initiated by the Queensland Nurses' Union and supported by several other unions, into concerns that the health service administration had announced the changes, which would include redundancies, without properly discussing the plans with staff.

The HHS told the commission that "staff had been heavily involved in discussions and consultations over many months concerning the need to reduce costs and expenditures".

It said that changes, including the need to reduce staffing levels, had been discussed at various forums attended by union officials.

The unions counter argued, however, that while staff had been informed about the "need" for changes, the HHS's formal annuncement of job losses,

rostering changes and restructuring of positions had been significantly different to discussions. Union officials said that the general nature of 16 proposed job losses in the catering, cleaning and wardspersons section, for example, had left about 200 staff "on tenterhooks about their future over the weekend".

The Industrial Relations Commission said it had attempted for several weeks to limit the potential for uncertainty among staff.

But the HHS had still proceeded to release a communiqué to staff about the planned changes.

It ruled that the HHS be restrained from making organisational changes for 21 days from October 22.

The Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service had not responded to a request for comment late yesterday.